Although Frank Sinatra’s classic rendition of Ervin Drake’s “It Was A Very Good Year” is one of his most recognisable tunes, it was in fact recorded first by The Kingston Trio in 1961, complete with the signature intro melody played on guitar and whistled in the breaks between the verses.

Sinatra’s cut, recorded four years later in 1965 with Gordon Jenkins and his studio orchestra, transforms the song into something even more contemplative, while the haunting intro melody takes on an altogether more melancholic character in Jenkins’s sublime, atmospheric arrangement.

The footage from the session shows Sinatra as a supremely confident artist, and even though there’s a couple of slightly apprehensive glances at the conductor, he knows he’s nailed it.

It’s not surprising that there are two Jamaican covers of the song, as Sinatra’s recording would have been all over the radio in the mid-60s. What’s slightly bizarre that both are organ instrumentals set against furious nyabinghi drumming.

I believe that Leslie Butler’s “Soul Drums” – recorded with master drummer Count Ossie and his ensemble and produced by the legendary Sonia Pottinger – was released first, appearing on the B side of The Gaylads’ hit “ABC Rocksteady” and proving to be very popular with shuffling dancers in the clubs.

The other cover was released as an album track on Lennie Hibbert’s Creation (1969) and is presumably by the resident Studio 1 arranger and organist Jackie Mittoo (as opposed to vibraphonist Hibbert). For some unknown reason, the track is mistitled as “Nature Boy” and it follows exactly the same format: jazzy Hammond organ on a bed of Rasta hand drums, probably played by Ras Michael and Brother Joe (who play on Studio 1 classics “Drum Song” and “Darker Shade”). In any case, it’s a winning combination, but this slower and more soulful rendition makes it my preferred cut.

I’ve always wondered how the idea for the track came about. Did it start as a live performance in a Kingston club, was it a preconceived arrangement, or was this just a studio jam that worked? Either way, it would be great to know the story behind this, and to know which one was actually recorded first.

As far as I can tell, there are no Jamaican vocal covers, although there is this instrumental by The Winston Turner Quintet – in the Jippi Jappa Lounge in the Jamaica Hilton! – which I suppose is pretty much exactly what you would expect from a hotel cocktail bar outfit…